Page 42 of Tide and Seek

“And once he left, did you maybe go for a walk?”

I shook my head.“No, we were tired from the trip.”I hesitated.“We took a shower and we went to bed.”

“Together?”Hartley asked.

I laughed gruffly.“Yes, together.”

“And neither one of you left the bed?”

I frowned.“No.We were asleep.Why would we leave the bed?”

Hartley held up his hands.“I’m not accusing you of anything.I’m simply trying to figure out where everyone was at any given time.”

“You mean when the murder occurred,” Royce said.

“Of course.”Detective Hartley shrugged.

I studied him.“You think I flew all the way from Texas just to murder an old lady who I hadn’t spoken to in years?”

“I’m not saying that.But I have to ask where you were.I’m sure you understand.”

“I suppose you’re just doing your job,” I admitted grudgingly.

Hartley appeared undeterred by my displeasure.“What time did Mr.Harper arrive at your house for his visit?”

“Maybe 8:15 p.m.?”I glanced at Royce and he nodded.“We hadn’t been here long when he arrived.”

“What’d you and Mr.Harper talk about when he came for his visit?”

I lifted one shoulder.“We talked a bit about the old days, but mostly we discussed the break-in of my beach house.He felt bad that he couldn’t be of any help to the police.”

“Right.”Hartley pursed his lips.“He wasn’t any help because he was out of town visiting his mother in New York.”

“Exactly.”Something about his tone made me add, “He really does have an elderly mother who lives in New York.”

Hartley didn’t address my comment.“When Mr.Harper left your home, would you say he was inebriated?”

“No.”I once more met Royce’s gaze for confirmation.

Royce said, “I wouldn’t have said Mr.Harper was inebriated, no.He seemed perfectly sober.”

Hartley made some notations in his notepad.“When did Mr.Harper leave your home?”

“As I said, he arrived around 8:15 p.m.and he only stayed about a half hour.”

Hartley grunted.“And when he left your home, did he head back toward his house or down to the beach?”

Feeling uneasy, I narrowed my eyes.“He went in the direction of his house, but I didn’t watch him the entire time.”I hesitated.“You’re asking an awful lot of questions about James.You can’t possibly think he killed Mrs.Brownstone, right?”

Hartley’s gaze never wavered.“Since I don’t know what happened yet, I have to look at everyone as a possible suspect, Dr.Thornton.”

“We understand that’s how this works,” Royce interjected.

Feeling less magnanimous, I said, “James saves lives.He’s a surgeon.He doesn’t go around murdering defenseless old ladies.”

Irritation flickered in Hartley’s eyes.“With all due respect, anyone can commit murder, Dr.Thornton.That includes respected doctors.”

Royce cleared his throat.“Max has known James a long time.I’m sure you understand why he might feel protective of his friend.”